Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) Shares Purchased by NewEdge Wealth LLC

Key Points

• NewEdge Wealth LLC increased its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 11.7%, owning approximately 502,900 shares valued at $26.94 million after the acquisition.
• Jefferies Financial Group reported a quarterly earnings miss with $0.40 EPS, falling short of the consensus estimate of $0.44.
• The company announced a $0.40 quarterly dividend, representing a 2.9% yield, with the ex-dividend date set for August 18th.

NewEdge Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 11.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 502,900 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 52,761 shares during the period. NewEdge Wealth LLC owned approximately 0.24% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $26,940,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,960 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $232,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the period. CoreCap Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 2,842 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $223,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 12.8% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 2,030 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $159,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares during the period. Simmons Bank raised its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 3.5% during the first quarter. Simmons Bank now owns 8,970 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $481,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the period. Finally, Pinnacle Associates Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 3.8% during the first quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 8,733 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $468,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.88% of the company's stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Down 3.0%

Shares of NYSE JEF opened at $55.93 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.11 and a beta of 1.48. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $39.28 and a 52-week high of $82.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05. The company's 50 day moving average price is $54.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $56.83.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, June 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.44 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 6.59% and a net margin of 7.70%. The business's revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.64 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. Jefferies Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is 60.38%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JEF has been the topic of several research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $55.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $55.00 to $54.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $66.00.

About Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group Inc operates as an investment banking and capital markets firm in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific. The company operates in two segments, Investment Banking and Capital Markets, and Asset Management. It provides investment banking, advisory services with respect to mergers or acquisitions, debt financing, restructurings or recapitalizations, and private capital advisory transactions; underwriting and placement services related to corporate debt, municipal bonds, mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, equity and equity-linked securities, and loan syndication services; and corporate lending services.

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